We’ve been preparing for a few weeks for our journey north and are now almost ready to leave - which we plan to do tomorrow, on Wednesday 15 August.

Although we’ve undertaken a few relatively short trips in our caravan, a 3 ½ month trip has required a little more thought. Especially logistics.

A few facts and figures to set the scene:

1. Our Toyota Landcruiser 100, powered by a 4.2 litre turbo-diesel, is the vehicle which will tow the caravan. We’ve had the vehicle since 2002 and it’s clocked up just over 344,000km to date (just run in!). It’s been fitted with long-range fuel tanks (total capacity 270 litres), Lovell suspension, improved muffler, an engine smart chip and additional radiator cooling. We’ve also fitted a Cel-Fi repeater to boost 3G and 4G mobile telephone reception. Although the 100 Series is a solid vehicle, and some would say a superior vehicle in many ways to its successor the 200 Series, its one major drawback is its relatively low GVM (gross vehicle mass) which dictates how much can be carried on board, bearing in mind that this includes the towball weight (which is the weight that bears down on the tow ball once the caravan is hooked on. In our case this is almost 300kg, which means that we’re unable to take full advantage of our long range fuel tanks.

2. Our caravan is a Zone RV 20.6 Off-Road van. Zone RV have been manufacturing caravans (in Coolum Beach, Queensland) for only a couple of years and we bought ours after selling the farm 18 months or so ago. Ours is number 48, whilst they’re presently up to about number 180. The van is a true off-road van and features a closed cell composite body of monocoque construction. This offers rigidity, lightness and a dust-free interior. It has Cruisemaster ASX suspension, airbags to adjust both ride and provision of a level camp base, a lithium battery supported by roof-mounted solar panels, grey water and water tanks, an ensuite which includes a shower, toilet and (very small) washing machine, TV with a roof-mounted satellite dish and a few other ‘goodies’ which make it one of the most comfortable ways of travelling the bush.

3. Our plan for this trip is to travel through Queensland and target the Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory. We’ll be meeting up with our very good friends, Bryan and Pam Slattery, for this part of the trip before they head off home again after 6 weeks. Although our own plans, after they leave us, are a little vague, we’re likely to continue north and west to Darwin before deciding the direction we then take. Bryan and Pam will be camping, so we may be a little restricted in where we find places to stay when ‘on the road’ but should be much less constrained when we’re ‘out bush’.

4. Logistics have represented an important part of our planning:

As we’re restricted to a finite fuel capacity, we’ll refuel as often as possible but we’ll carry reserve fuel in the form of jerrycans on the caravan draw bar.

Similarly, water is an issue, as we don’t want to be carrying water unnecessarily and expending more fuel in towing it around - so we’ll have to be careful in using this precious resource.

Fortunately, power to the van is less of an issue as we have solar power, nevertheless, in the event of excessive cloud cover, we have a generator on board as back-up.

Punctured tyres are always a possibility, but we hope that the three spare wheels we carry (the vehicle and the van have the same wheels) will be sufficient.

Health and safety are, of course, important. Apart from the obvious First Aid and Snake Bite Kits, we will be carrying a Garmin InReach SE satellite communicator. This would allow us to communicate, via satellite, emergency support resources, should we find ourselves in strife somewhere out of normal telephone range. However, the plan we have only allows us to use this for emergencies so we won’t be using it for routine communications.

5. We hope to post via this link regularly but this may not happen for a variety of reasons including lack of communications, insufficient time, nothing to report or laziness! The journal is designed to \240plot our progress on a map. Both of us plan to contribute to the Journal...

6. We plan to leave home on Wednesday but will be stopping in Brisbane for a day for a routine maintenance of the caravan suspension. After that we’ll head for the Carnarvon Gorge where we’ll spend a few days and then meet up with Bryan and Pam.

If you’d like make contact with us whilst we’re away, Ann’s email address is: frosty1803@bigpond.com and David’s is: gwerna@bigpond.com

We trust you enjoy following us on our journey.

We left home 20 minutes later than we had planned. No big deal.

But we still had to visit the weighbridge at Ballina to verify that our GCM (gross combined mass) was within acceptable limits. Our authorised GCM is the sum of the vehicle and caravan GVMs (3,260kg + 3,500kg = 6,760kg). We weighed in at 6,340kg, which means we have plenty of additional capacity in the caravan, but can carry no more than 120 litres of fuel in the vehicle.

Then on to Bunnings to collect a few spring washers and a cap to cover the exhaust from the diesel heater when it’s not in use.

And finally away!

Up the Pacific Highway, across the Gateway Bridge, to avoid the Brisbane CBD, and a few kilometres further north on to the Pine Rivers Showground where we paid $25.00 for the night to cover the supply of water and electricity - although we didn’t need to tap into either.

235km

An early start to get to Cruisemaster at Geebung to have our suspension checked and routinely maintained. But we didn’t allow for the heavy traffic on its way to the city. Nevertheless, we dropped the van off, drove out to Shorncliffe for a walk and an early coffee.

Then into Sandgate for some grocery shopping and then a short drive to the Boondall Wetlands. An oasis amidst chaos.

A sandwich at Nudgee Beach and then back to Geebung to wait for the van.

And finally to the Pine Rivers Showgrounds for another overnight stop - \240before the real holiday starts...

today: 77km cumulative: 312km

It was good to leave the city behind us.

We headed north, after a disagreement with the HEMA satnav which took us a little off course for a while, but Kilroy was in our sights. But we needed to keep going and travelled through towns with exotic names such as Cooyar, Kaimkillenbun and then on through Dalby and finally to Chinchilla.

It was interesting to note on our way through the Darling Downs how different farmers have dealt with the drought.

Those with small holdings never really have a chance to do much.

Whereas the larger operations clearly have long term plans which help to alleviate the dry conditions. For example, we saw that contours had been established in some farms so as to retain moisture as best as possible. Dry seeding had been completed, in a very big way in some operations, even though all signs indicate very little rain over the short term forecasting period - a gutsy investment that in all likelihood will yield little or no return.

In between these two extremes, it seemed that few farms were likely to prosper. Perhaps an indication that, despite acknowledging the drought, actually making a decision to do something about it was the most difficult decision of all...

We overnighted beside the Chinchilla Weir - about 10km from town - at a free campsite. Beautiful!

today: 350km cumulative: 612km

https://w3w.co/sneeze.total.heckle

A beautiful morning with a couple of dozen or so pelicans swimming on the lake.

But we had a relatively long day ahead of us if we were to reach Carnarvon Gorge by sunset. So, off through Miles to Roma. And then north to Injune. We refueled here and after much stuffing around filled two of our three water tanks so as to get us through the four nights we plan to spend just outside the National Park. The helpers at the Information Centre had sent us to the wrong place to fill our tanks. We reached Sandstone Park around 5:30 pm and found ourselves a site with a view, facing east. Sandstone only caters for caravans and campers who are fully self sufficient as there are no facilities at all - except for exquisite views, fresh air and a handful of other like-minded folk.

The country between Chinchilla and Carnarvon Gorge is a mixed-bag. Although dry, there appeared to be sufficient water about whether it was in creeks or dams. Closer to Carnarvon Gorge there was evidence of good, irrigated land growing both crops and cattle. Superimposed on this there were plenty of oil and some coal operations and, as a consequence, an abundance of trucks on the road servicing it all. However, the further west and then north we drove, the traffic thinned noticeably - although, of course, it was Saturday!

today: 445km cumulative: 1,107km

We experienced very high winds overnight which wasn’t especially surprising as the camp site sits right on top of a ridge. But they did cause the van to move around a bit during the night.

The morning was spent catching up with routine housekeeping. Enough said.

Later in the morning we drove down to the Carnarvon Gorge Visitor Centre and then completed a short walk - up to Mickeys Creek and return. The Gorge has so much to offer and it’s difficult to know where to start..

In the afternoon it was time to find some timber, use the chainsaw we brought with us and collect enough wood for us to use for a few evening barbecues.

Before the afternoon was out, we walked through the camp area for a talk given by a local aboriginal man who claimed that his family was raised in the general area and who gave us an interesting overview of the Gorge, its history and the several local walks that are on offer.

A technical glitch has resulted in photos taken during the day not being able to be published - will catch up when possible.....

today: 10km cumulative: 1,117km

We missed a day. Well - we’re on holiday!

Monday turned out to be a bit of a non-event, although we did attend a late afternoon presentation which provided us with an overview of the geological history of the Gorge together with some advice regarding a selection of places to visit and the walks leading to them.

And so, on Tuesday morning, we drove off from Sandstone Park shortly after 6:30 am to the car park adjacent to the Visitor Centre.

It was quite cold, possibly 0°C, as we made our way up the Gorge. First stop was the Art Gallery which was 5.5 km away. The walk required crossing the creek six times, although strategically placed stepping stones assisted our progress. The quiet of the morning offered little but the emerging light of day - we seemed to be the only ones about. Indeed, we determined later that we were first cab off the rank on the day. The Art Gallery is a 60 metre long sandstone wall which which features 2,000 engravings, ochre stencils and free-hand paintings. It is claimed to have some of the best examples of stencil art in Australia. Needless to say, it is a significant Aboriginal site and is said to be an important Aboriginal burial site. It is in remarkably good condition.

Next stop was Wards Canyon, about a kilometre away and named after the Ward family who hunted possums in the 1920’s. The canyon has also taken on significance as an Aboriginal initiation site. The beauty of this canyon is that it offers a home to the world’s largest fern - the king fern (Angiopteris evecta) which has strong links with the ancient flora of Gondwana origin. These ferns used to be found throughout this region but this cluster has survived because the environment in which they reside has remained unchanged for millennia, whilst much of the forest has since changed and the only other examples remaining are scattered mainly along the Queensland coastal strip.

The next stop was the Amphitheatre which required about a two kilometre walk and a climb up a couple of ladders. The amphitheatre is a 60 metre chamber gouged out of the sandstone and is quite spectacular. Certainly worth the climb in.

And finally to the Moss Garden which is an Aboriginal birthing site. A real oasis with a permanent waterfall which drops into a pool. But the main feature is the wall of moss that forms at the base of the sandstone and atop the rock ledge and produces a constant dripping of water and sustains mosses, ferns and liverworts.

Since leaving the Art Gallery we’ve been slowly retracing our steps and, after six hours or so, we return to the car. Just under 15 km all told, covering creek crossings, steep climbs and some tricky passages. But what an experience!

The photos taken along the way are all held within the DSLR camera and, until the laptop can be re-charged, that’s where they’ll stay - so there’ll be no photographic history to share until we get to some 240v power......

Monday: 10km cumulative: 1,127km

Tuesday: 20km cumulative: 1,147km

A new day at Takarakka.

Takarakka is only a few hundred metres from Sandstone Park but it’s an ideal place to meet up with our friends, Bryan and Pam, as they are unable to camp independently (ie. without power or water being available) given that they’re in a tent.

So today was an admin. day, de-camping, moving down the road, setting up the van again, welcoming our friends and starting to develop our plans over the next few weeks.

today: 6km cumulative: 1,153km

Following are some pictures from yesterday’s walk:

Thursday turned out to be another beautiful day. Very cool mornings, followed by clear, dry and sunny days.

Bryan and David set off after breakfast to tackle the Boolimba Bluff. The walk itself was only 6.4km return, but it was 200 metres all but straight up and required a fair degree of effort to manage the 1,000 steps and several ladders. But it was all worthwhile as the views were simply majestic.

To the west, the Warrego river starts its journey in the Carnarvon Ranges and eventually finds its way across 1,000km to the Murray Darling Basin; the Barcoo also commences in the ranges and travels west to join other rivers in the Queensland channel country (and, in heavy rain, these flood and drain into Lake Eyre; and the waters of Carnarvon Creek travel east to join the Comet, MacKenzie and Fitzroy rivers and eventually find their way to the Pacific Ocean at Rockhampton.

No one photograph could do justice to the views from this lookout!

The return walk required a lot less energy but no less effort in determining that each footfall was well placed.

Ann and Pam, in the meantime, took a sedate stroll through the Nature Trail not far from the Visitor Centre and were fortunate enough to glimpse a platypus scurrying through the water, but it all happened too quickly for a photo to be taken. Nevertheless, it was a pleasant walk.

Just before dinner, the thrill of the day was sighting a marsupial glider make its flight across open space of 10-15 metres from one tree to another. We weren’t sure which type of glider it was as it all happened under torchlight, but we’re hoping that tomorrow’s night-time guided walk will help to identify it.

today: 20km cumulative: 1,173km

Another glorious day.

Today we went our separate ways:

Pam went to the Nature Trail and spent most of the morning sketching and painting.

Bryan and Ann walked to the Moss Garden (Ann for the second time) only to find that a tour group had beaten them to it - although they suspect, given the age of most of them, they would have left much, much earlier! Nevertheless, it was a good walk.

David decided to walk to Big Bend, which is at the extremity of the main track through the Gorge and features a natural pool beneath huge sandstone walls. On the way back he called into the Cathedral Cave which is a massive wind-eroded overhang which sheltered Aboriginal people for thousands of years - quite spectacular. A 21.4 km trek.....

The evening was supposed to include a night walk to view whatever fauna might be around at the time, but it turned out to be a disappointing seniors’ moment as we got the date wrong.....

today: 20km cumulative: 1,193km

We left Carnarvon Gorge fairly close to 7:00 am.

Travelling east for a few kilometres, then north for an hour to Rolleston where we searched for, and found, the dump point - an important facility when camping (emptying the toilet!) Then having refuelled, we continued north until we reached Emerald. No time for sightseeing there, which didn’t appear to be a problem, so we headed west for another 300 or so kilometres through Alpha, where we refuelled the vehicle and ourselves, and on to Barcaldine. This is where the Tree of Knowledge is located, at least until some louts burnt it down several years ago, which signifies the establishment of the Australian trade union movement during the shearers’ strike of 1891. It was then a short 42km drive to our destination - the Lara Wetlands.

The day’s drive wasn’t terribly inspiring. Undulating country and generally quite dry. We passed a couple of mobs of cattle and the drovers who were moving them along the road - they seemed to be in very poor condition, although, on the other hand, we also passed several well irrigated paddocks in which stock were barely visible. They looked good and healthy as they were being fattened up for market.

Lara Wetlands is something very special. It’s located at Lara station south of Barcaldine and features a relatively small wetland area which the station owners have made available to tourists who are self-sufficient in their caravans or tents.

today: 595km cumulative: 1,788km

Photographs tomorrow.....

Sunday (yesterday) was a wonderful, relaxing day by the water.

None of us did a great deal, except for a walk around the wetlands. We took a kayak out on the water and found, very quickly, that it was very unstable and that it leaked, so we exchanged the double seater for two single seaters and spent three quarters of an hour pottering around.

We also met Zone #050, owned by Jerry and Jayne Watt from Ballarat. They were staying at Lara for a couple of days on their way home after a couple of months further north. Evidently, another Zone (#08) owned by Madge and ?, were also at Lara the previous week.

Today we left Lara, dropped into Barcaldine to view the Tree of Knowledge and have a coffee. Then a 100+ km drive north to Longreach. Very little of note on the way - quite a straight road with the railway line alongside (The Spirit of the Outback passed us going south), a few sheep and lots of caravans - mainly traveling south.

We checked in to the Longreach Caravan Park - a small one with capacity for about 30 vans - after rejecting the very large Tourist Park (500 vans) and the free camp which was very dusty and not at all conducive to tent camping for Bryan and Pam.

In the afternoon the girls went shopping whilst David and Bryan visited the Qantas Founders Museum.

Sunday: 0km cumulative: 1,788km

Monday: 152km cumulative: 1,940km

https://w3w.co/lamp.shouts.ferns

We all visited the Stockman’s Hall of Fame in the morning. There is so much to see and learn! We decided not to do either the Day Show or the Evening Cruise - mainly because if we were to say yes to everything that’s on offer everywhere we visit we’d go home broke!

David returned to the Qantas Museum to join the guided tour of the Qantas DC3, 707 and 747. An informative hour and a half, whilst Ann stayed on at the Hall of Fame until mid-afternoon.

We then visited the Longreach Cemetery which didn’t hold our interest for very long.

today: 31km cumulative: 1,971km

A relatively early start and then on to Winton - a couple of hundred kms up the road.

The country, although drought stricken, showed strong evidence of prosperity, in that the paddocks were well fenced, infrastructure that was visible from the road was in sound order and properties were large. Furthermore, again despite the drought, there was plenty of stock around (both cattle and sheep), although one might imagine that de-stocking had already taken place because what stock that were visible appeared to be in good condition.

Winton looked as if it might be really hot in summer - it just had that feel about it. We visited the Walltzing Matilda Museum which had been rebuilt and re-opened this year after a disastrous fire had consumed it in 2015. The Waltzing Matilda theme because Banjo Paterson had written the poem whilst in Winton. We found the museum to be really interesting, not only featuring the story behind the poem, but also many stories about the locals who volunteered for WW1, many of whom didn’t return - and those that did return made a good contribution to Winton’s pastoral industry over the succeeding years.

We stopped overnight at a truck bay about 15km north-east of Kynuna which, in turn, is about 190km east of Cloncurry.

today: 349km cumulative: 2,320km

https://w3w.co/longitude.upended.taming)

Photos tomorrow...

After a good night’s sleep, we left our truck stop overnight home and headed for Cloncurry.

The road seemed to climb for a long way, even though it was only just measurable. Keeping the Landcruiser at a steady 2,000 rpm was the target and it resulted in numerous (automatic) gear changes which produced speeds varying between 80km/hr and 95km/hr. We passed Kynuna which has a pub (https://w3w.co/progressed.circled.capsize) which featured in the Crocodile Dundee film (although we really couldn’t justify a drink before morning coffee) and McKinlay had the old truck which featured in the same film.

Cloncurry was once a very busy and certainly prosperous town, based on both agriculture and mining. Mary Kathleen (a few klicks west of Cloncurry) has now been mined out of uranium, but there continues to be copper mining. There was certainly evidence of many mining related vehicles in and around town.

We visited the Tourist Centre which boasted a rich heritage of historic information, followed by John Flynn Place (https://w3w.co/boosted.investigates.blacken). JF founded the Flying Doctor Service in Cloncurry, which now services the majority of rural Australia. Whilst there, the power cut out. We subsequently learnt that a truck had knocked over a power line just east of Mount Isa and this had resulted not only in cutting power to the local region, but also closed the road from Cloncurry to Mount Isa. It also resulted in us being unable to refuel as the fuel stations weren’t operating. The short story is that we decided to cut our losses and stay in a caravan park in Cloncurry.

The weather has now started to warm up with daytime temperatures in the low 30°C and overnight temps in the mid teens.

today: 201km cumulative: 2,521km

https://w3w.co/farmer.stumbling.snipped)

The photos in this post include a few from yesterday....

It was an unplanned caravan park stay, nevertheless, it allowed us to get some washing out of the way.

Back on the road again soon after 8:00 am and we were in Mount Isa by 10:30 am. The road was almost breathtaking as we passed through some wonderful country. The penalty, however, was lots of hills, together with trucks each towing four trailers fully laden and making their way to Mount Isa. There are five mines in and around Cloncurry alone and there are many others feeding the copper refinery.

A quick shopping expedition in town and we got out again as quickly as we could.

Then on to Camooweal where we’re stayed g the night at a free camp alongside the Georgina River. Yes, there’s still some water around, but not a lot.

today: 314km cumulative: 2,835km

The Camooweal billabong was delightful. A range of birds came to visit including brolgas, pelicans, straw necked ibis, spoonbills, budgerigars (a flock of about a thousand gave us a superb display of aerial acrobatics, dipping and diving as they went), whistling kites, zebra finches, coots, cormorants, Pacific black ducks, galahs, corellas, willy wagtails, magpie larks and \240sounds of the peaceful dove. We had to drag ourselves away - but onward we had to go.

We entered the Barkly Tableland which, surprisingly to us, was largely grassland. And as we made good progress along what were mainly straight roads. Morning coffee was taken alongside a stockyard which one might imagine would have been alive with activity at other times.

And then on to Barkly Homestead for another fuel stop (this time the most expensive at $1.89 per litre). Another 200km further on we joined the Stuart Highway, which links Alice Springs with Darwin. And finally to a small roadside park where we met up again with Bryan and Pam who had driven ahead of us after we left Longreach, not being encumbered with towing over 3 tonnes behind them. Banka Banka charges $20 per night and, in return, one gets a place to park, hot showers and toilets and water - but not power.

It seems that from this point on, telecommunications are likely to be less reliable. Banka Banka has no service at all and so this post will only be transmitted as soon as we find a connection.

today: 530km cumulative: 3,415km

https://w3w.co/gymnasium.knowing.pacts

Banka Banka offered a restful night, despite being 100 metres from the road. The hot shower on arrival helped.

We all left after breakfast and headed north again. First fuel stop was Elliott where we made ourselves coffee. Evidently Elliott was a WWII staging point. At one time it was a fairly orderly town but it’s now very run down with many aboriginal houses surrounded by rubbish, filth and broken down vehicles.

We stopped briefly at the Sir Charles Todd Monument - he was present at the joining of the overland telegraph line between Adelaide and Darwin - and on to Europe - in August 1872. (https://w3w.co/lorry.crave.pincers)

And then on past several WWII airstrips to Daly Waters. There really isn’t much to see there except for the pub (https://w3w.co/yards.retract.relented) which was only fairly recently built (in 1932). It’s now invaded by coach loads of visitors - either rather large women fussing over what they’ll have with their fish and chips, or young backpackers taking photographs of what they must believe to be some genuine Aussie history. A bit sad really, however, we did our bit for the local economy and shared some fish and chips and enjoyed a cold beer each before heading off once more.

We had originally considered staying overnight at Daly Waters but quickly came to the conclusion that we were likely to be caught up with some other travellers who may have preferred to make a night of it at the pub, so we set off again.

We arrived at Mataranka late in the afternoon and, fortunately, Bryan and Pam who had gone ahead of us and found a site just outside the town beside the Roper Creek. Ideal!

today: 470km cumulative: 3,885km

https://w3w.co/numerals.originate.profiles

Really not much to report today.

It was hot and humid with temperature of 38°C. So it was a quiet day with a swim, or more accurately a float, in the creek which was quite warm but nevertheless refreshing.

today: 0km cumulative: 3,885km

A quick post to record our short stay at Katherine Gorge and just before setting off for \240a 2 hour boat cruise (https://w3w.co/recounting.tombstone.splice).

Yesterday we drove up from Mataranka, spent some productive time at the Katherine Visitor Centre (https://w3w.co/nightlife.crewcut.constructing) organising our time in Kakadu National Park; grocery shopping and then visiting the Katherine Museum which offered a rich history of the town and region’s history.

We experienced a bit of a logistics issue in the morning as we had parked the van beneath a shady tree and, because the lithium battery was working overtime to maintain the low temperature required of the fridge/freezer, we ran out of power. No big deal as all we needed to do was move the van into the direct sunlight and move on. \240However, the retractable steps could not be retracted, so we had to wait a while for the solar panels to do their job.

The daily temperatures are now in the high 30s, which is a relief after some cool days further south.

yesterday (Tuesday): 155km cumulative: 4,040km

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The boat cruise up Katherine Gorge was really excellent. Only 2 hours’ duration, but sufficient to gain an understanding of the magnificence of it all. (Pictures to follow).

We had to deal with another issue, in that the grey water tank refused to empty and was creating an unacceptable smell inside the van. The short story is that we purchased some kind of chemical in Katherine which was designed to break down whatever was preventing it emptying properly. So, having applied this through the two sinks and shower and driven a couple of hundred kilometres to shake it all up, hey presto! Out it all came. So we’re now adopting the practice of wiping clean all plates, dishes and utensils with a paper towel before washing up.

The drive from Katherine to Pine Creek (about 100km), before turning north-east, was quite fast, however, the drive into the National Park was quite windy and so fairly slow.

Our pre-booked campsite in Kakadu was waiting for us when we arrived and so we settled in for our 4 night stay.

today: 284km cumulative: 4,324km

https://w3w.co/freezers.shortage.lovable

Another warm day.

Today, we all decided to explore the northeastern corner of Kakadu and so headed to Ubirr.

On the way we stopped at the Bowali Visitor Centre (https://w3w.co/greenest.marsh.taster) where a cup of morning coffee was called for, had a quick drive around Jabiru (much smaller than we had expected) and drove to the East Alligator River where we booked a river tour with the Guluyambi Cultural Cruise (https://w3w.co/waxy.meadow.jerseys) at 3.00pm. On the way there we stopped briefly along the road and marvelled at a view across the floodplain. It was an amazing vista with all manner of birds in the distance.

With some time to fill we drove a little way down the road to Ubirr. A walk meanders through an area which features some extraordinary rock art (https://w3w.co/scenic.midrange.retrial) - reputedly amongst the best in the world - and ends at a rocky outlook which looks out over the Nadab floodplain (https://w3w.co/breathy.fans.monkfish). The view is quite unexpected as, unlike much else in the area, it’s green!

With more time to fill we had our packed lunch and visited Cahills Crossing https://w3w.co/cartoon.forefront.prowess) which marks the crossover point to Arnhem Land which can only be accessed with a permit.

Then to the boat cruise. It was a relatively small craft, with seating for 25 people and run by local aboriginals. The fellow who took us was quite a character, although he was a Noongar (from Western Australia) and not local. He certainly knew his stuff and was able to provide us with all the information we needed, of the river, the multitude of crocodiles who lived in it, the birds, the vegetation and much more. We were certainly amongst more saltwater crocodiles than I’d ever encountered. Some of the photographs tell the story...

today: 225km cumulative: 4,549km

A very different day.

This time we decided to travel off-road. We took the Jim Jim Road (https://w3w.co/tiaras.teachers.finer), which was a dirt track and a few kilometres south of the Cooinda turnoff and followed it south-west until it reached the South Alligator River (https://w3w.co/mooring.subsist.personal). Here, the ‘main track’ continued, firstly in a southwesterly direction and then north west, eventually reaching the Arnhem Highway at Mt. Bundey - this is called the Old Darwin Road. However, we crossed the river and turned north east. Eventually, we came to the Alligator Billabong (https://w3w.co/frowns.participation.victorious) where we had lunch.

Along the way, we stopped at numerous billabongs which provided some terrific vantage points for viewing all manner of birds. We saw a few Jabirus, numerous Magpie geese, ducks, wading birds, sea eagles and many others.

The track was heavily corrugated for almost half the (off-road) journey and we only encountered one other vehicle along the 90km.

A few kilometres after we joined the Arnhem Highway (https://w3w.co/enormously.dollar.unguided), dropped in to the Mamukala Wetlands (https://w3w.co/enormously.dollar.unguided) which featured a hide where we enjoyed another view of the Kakadu bird life.

It was a most enjoyable day.

today: 242km cumulative: 4,771km

We all booked ourselves a sunrise cruise on the Yellow River. It was to last 2 hours.

Well, two hours really wasn’t enough. We saw more crocodiles than we had ever seen - combined. All within a few metres from the boat. Words are insufficient to describe the spectacle, so hopefully a selection of photos we took may help.

The tour included breakfast back at the camping area. Traditional brekkie - and as much as one could eat.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing and recounting what we had experienced at Kakadu. Bryan and Pam planned to leave in the morning, whilst we elected to stay on a couple more days as the vehicle had been booked into the Darwin Toyota service department, hopefully to solve what seems to be an ongoing issue with the intake shutter control which triggers the engine icon on the dashboard.

today: 0km cumulative: 4,771km

Our friends, Bryan and Pam, left us this morning on their return journey home. It’s likely they’ll aim for Innisfail and then drive down the coast back to Burrawang.

Meanwhile, Ann and I visited the Warradjan Aboriginal Culture Centre, not far from Yellow Water, which was very informative.

We debated whether we should venture out as the day was exceptionally hot and extremely oppressive. It does seem that summer has arrived with a vengeance in the Top End.

However, we headed up the road for about 40km to visit Nourlangie’s caves and up to the Gunwarddehwardde lookout. The view was worth the walk.

We then drove to the Anbangbang billabong to have lunch. A peaceful place where we saw a large number of pelicans, two Jabiru, several wading birds and, quite unexpectedly, an emu and her seven chicks.

Then back to the caravan for a quiet afternoon.

We have decided to leave Kakadu tomorrow morning and drive to Darwin.

today: 100km cumulative: 4,871km

We packed up today after five nights in Kakadu. It was a sad parting as every day we had spent there was far more than we had expected. It was difficult to nominate the best experience, but the Yellow Water cruise probably topped the list.

After refuelling in Jabiru and having a cup of coffee beside the town lake, we set off for Darwin. We had lunch at a stop beside the Mary River and then, 70km short of Darwin, visited the Window at the Wetlands Visitor Centre, which is one of the highest points overlooking the Adelaide River floodplain. Certainly worth calling in.

After 2-3 weeks of wide open spaces, Darwin was a bit of a shock and the caravan park near Palmerston was chock-a-block. So, after settling in, we drove into the city - 20 km or so distant - and took our ‘picnic’ evening meal to Fannie Bay and watched the sun go down.

today: 253km cumulative: 5,124km

The night was putrid! Very humid, no breeze, noisy neighbours and nothing to recommend it.

We drove into town again, visited the Tourist Information Centre, had a coffee and then drove up to East Point. This is where the Darwin Military Museum is located. It proved to be really interesting. Largely focussed on 19 February 1942 when Darwin was bombed - and the following year or so when parts of the Northern Territory, Western Australia and Queensland were also bombed by the Japanese. Interestingly, there was also a Vietnam Veterans Museum within the Museum.

Down to the Fishermens’ Wharf for a fish ‘n chip lunch, stocked up with some wild barramundi for the next couple of weeks and then back to the caravan.

today: 75km cumulative: 5,199km

The day for the Landcruiser to be taken to the Toyota dealer in town. The problem has been an ongoing one which, although fixed by both Lismore Toyota and Coffs Harbour Toyota over the past 18 months or so, neither of them had identified the cause. Without going into all the details, the fellow in Darwin was very thorough (the Northern Territory probably has more Toyota Landcruisers per head of population than anywhere else in the world!) and reported that the cause was something relatively minor and had probably been overlooked by others. Time will tell.

We also had a water pressure problem in the caravan which seems to have been fixed by thoroughly flushing out the water filter. Again, time will tell. Of course, this necessitated a few trips to Bunnings to source the necessary parts.

In the meantime, Ann was busy in the van, preparing for our planned departure tomorrow morning.

today: 42km cumulative: 5,241m

We left Darwin as planned and retraced much of the road we’d travelled on the way north.

On the section of road that we’d not previously driven - between the intersection of the Arnhem Highway and Pine Creek, and the road between Mataranka and our overnight stop - we saw huge mango orchards and equally large citrus orchards. Most were well maintained, but a few appeared abandoned.

Once we turned into the Roper ‘Highway’, east of Mataranka, it was mostly one lane and so each oncoming vehicle had to retreat to the dirt in order to pass. But the bitumen itself was in reasonable condition.

We stopped overnight at parking area near Mount Price, about 80 km from Mataranka.

today: 485km cumulative: 5,726km

Thought we should let you know that we’re leaving Darwin this morning and heading out south and then east. We’re planning to drive through Roper Bar, Borroloola and through to Burketown. This will include about 600 km of dirt and reports from others who’ve driven this recently indicate that the ‘road’ is in extremely poor condition with significant corrugations for a greater part of the distance. Furthermore, telecommunications are likely to be fairly poor, so you may not hear from us for a while.

Wish us luck!

What a day!

After a leisurely start from our free off road overnight camp, it didn’t take too long before the bitumen ran out and we encountered our first real dirt road. Despite the fact that it’s called a Highway, the only resemblance to an urban highway is that it’s also inhabited by idiots. (We read this afternoon that an Alice Springs aboriginal person was stopped by police as they were unhappy that her car, designed for five passengers, was carrying seventeen passengers).....

We stopped at the Roper Bar Store which has definitely seen better days (picture below) and then had lunch beside the Roper Bar itself (another picture). Overlooking the Bar is the remains of the original Police Station which was established in the late 1800s but was eventually relocated to Ngukurr (an aboriginal community about 32 km away) as it had been washed out by floodwater one time too many. Nevertheless, a pleasant place to stop for a sandwich.

Then on to Ngukurr itself to find fuel.

The bridge over the Roper River has only recently been built and it became evident that this investment was primarily to support the residents of Ngukurr (population circa 500?). Along the way we also encountered a mobile telephone tower which offered us the maximum 5 bars on our phone as we passed (we’re lucky if we get 3 bars at Lennox Head).

Most of the road was very heavily corrugated and necessitated a speed of no more than 20 km/h.

On arrival, we had difficulty finding the fuel station and had to enquire of its location from the local constabulary, who were happy to oblige. The town was, unfortunately, typical of many aboriginal communities in that it is isolated; appears to offer little or no opportunity for youth development; most of the housing shows no sign of its residents taking any care of anything much at all. Very depressing...

On the way to our overnight stop, we encountered a fellow and his son, towing their tinny. They had literally lost the entire nearside rear wheel of their ute whilst negotiating the road. They felt that they didn’t require any help from us.

We’re now at Munbililla or Tomato Island which is within the Limmen National Park on the Roper River and a relative oasis. We needed the break....

today: 219km cumulative: 5,945km

Given the state of the road we had experienced in getting to Munbililla, we felt the need to revisit our decision to continue on to Borroloola. After all, it was another 300 km or so further. In the end we determined that we’d come this far for a good reason and so we decided to continue. However, the tyres needed a further drop in pressure in order to make more progress and to offer a more comfortable ride, not only for ourselves but also for the Landcruiser and caravan. We decided to experiment with 20psi for all four caravan tyres, 25psi for the rear Landcruiser tyres and 22psi for the front. This should allow us to travel between 60-80 km/hr depending on conditions.

Today was a peaceful day. We didn’t even venture outside the boundary of the camping precinct. It’s managed by Northern Territory National Parks and has recently enjoyed significant investment to cater to fishermen who come from far and wide to land barramundi from the river. This time of year is quiet, but one can imagine that mid-year would be exceptionally busy.

A feature of the camping ground is an area where the local fishermens’ community gather to commemorate military veterans.

The weather continues to be hot, but not as humid as Darwin.

The likelihood of camping near another aboriginal community with access to excellent internet will be remote until we reach Borroloola, so this may be the last journal post for a few days. Additionally, we’re unable to post photos as long as we don’t have access to 240 volt power - we have no means of transferring images from an SD card to the laptop and then to the iPad from which these posts are sent.

today: 0km cumulative: 5,945km

A few more ‘boaties’ seem to have arrived overnight - it was, after all, the weekend.

Nevertheless, we left Munbililla soon after 8:30. It was interesting to note that our exercise in reducing tyre pressures yesterday afternoon had paid off handsomely. Not that we didn’t experience the corrugations, but both the van and vehicle rode far better than previously.

We stopped on the way at Lomareium Lagoon which was a few hundred metres in from the road and an abandoned homestead. We subsequently believed, after looking at the map, that the St. Vidgeon homestead had either been relocated several kilometres inland or that the abandoned building was simply a second homestead to the main building.

The lagoon itself was enchanting (see the picture) but, as always, we kept well away from the water’s edge given the ever-present crocodiles.

Several kilometres down the road, after turning south at the junction to Port Roper (which had been abandoned several years ago), we arrived at Towns River campsite, alongside the river itself. We selected a position with clear views up, down and across the river and settled down for the rest of the day. The upside, apart from the views, was the constant breeze, strong at times, which offered a relatively cooler environment; but the downside was the dust whipped up by the wind which delivered a thick film over every available surface.

today: 77km cumulative: 6,022km

It was a bit of a wrench leaving Towns River. So we had a full English breakfast to grieve at our loss!

The road to the south east was fairly ordinary and consisted of corrugations, more corrugations, creek crossings, and a very few smooth surfaces.

We had heard about Lorella Springs from a number of people and so we decided to make the 30 km trip off the main track. We had been travelling through the Limmen National Park but Lorella Springs was just outside. The track in was awful but we were enticed by all the positive stories. Alas, as it was almost the end of the dry season, everything was very ordinary and, worst of all, they charged $20 per night, per person. However, we could see the potential of the place: it has belonged to the same family for a while and it was now the son’s turn to run the property. It extends through to the Gulf (of Carpentaria) and offers a wealth of activities, including fishing, 4WD driving and walks to visit waterfalls, pools, creeks, wetlands and everything else in between. A helicopter is also available for scenic flights. Perhaps one of these days, at the appropriate time of year and with an appropriate budget, we’ll go back....

After a drink at the bar ($8 a can!) we retired to our mobile hotel and enjoyed some chicken cooked on the Weber.

today: 153km cumulative: 6,175km

Back to the 30km track back to the track!

And on to Borroloola.

We had seen 3 vehicles over the past 24 hours, other than those within Lorella Springs, and suddenly we were amongst numerous others - \240predominantly Toyota Landcruisers of various vintages. After refuelling and treating ourselves to a ‘cafe’ meal, we hit the road once more drove east and south heading for a camp stop at Robinson River Crossing.

On the way, we had a problem with the electrical system in the caravan, in that whilst the lithium battery was charging properly, no power was getting through to anything at all. On further investigation once we arrived at our overnight campsite the culprit was a wire that has come loose in the energy management system. Then we had an issue with the water system in that only a trickle was being delivered by the pump - almost certainly a water filter that will either need cleaning out or, more than likely, need replacing.

today: 277km cumulative: 6,452km

During the night we were visited by a camp dog: it was gaunt, hungry and had possibly been left to fend for itself. We also had a donkey call on us, making loud braying calls which almost sounded as if it was immediately outside the van.

The morning arrived with an exceptional fog - one couldn’t see much beyond 50 metres - but it didn’t take too long for the sun to burn it off.

We drove off and found that it was going to be a tough day; the ‘road’ was not in good condition and was characterised by deep corrugations which was punishing for the vehicle, van and us. Nevertheless, we encountered several creeks which offered great photo opportunities. We also found that there were many more vehicles driving in the opposite direction - we passed at least 6 over the 200 or so kilometres we drove.

Although the season was very dry, we passed large mobs of cattle. Their condition was mixed, however the majority appeared to be pretty good and the fencing was well maintained. We learnt that one property which we drove past for many kilometres and where new fencing was being erected is owned by Chinese investors.

We also passed quite a few Aboriginal Land Trust properties, none of which looked particularly inspiring and all of which had signs warning others that, if they ventured beyond the signs they would be liable for a $1,000 fine - wish we had the power to do that at home!

As we neared Hell’s Gate, Echo Gorge was spectacular. It is said that, when the white pastoralists were establishing their properties, the aboriginals would ambush them as they travelled west through the pass - hence the name.

We stayed overnight at the roadhouse which is possibly one of the most isolated roadhouses one could come across. It’s also a working station. Fuel was $1.95 per litre for diesel.

Treated ourselves to a meal cooked at the roadhouse (roast lamb and veggies) which went down particularly well and sat at a table with a couple from Melbourne. We couldn’t get a word in edgewise....

today: 210km cumulative: 6,662km

The HEMA map indicated that the road to Burketown was dirt all the way to Doomadgee and that it was bitumen thereafter. Fortunately for us, it was largely bitumen all the way.

Incidentally, we use both the printed HEMA maps and the HEMA HX-1 which is a satellite navigation device which incorporates all the available HEMA maps - it’s an excellent device and, although pricey, is highly recommended as the primary off-road navigation tool. The company, HEMA, was established by Henry and Margaret (surname not known) and so the name HEMA was born.

We drove past Doomadgee as, from the road which largely by-passed it, it seemed to have many of the characteristics of an aboriginal town: rubbish all over the place, broken down and trashed vehicles, adults and children alike simply wandering aimlessly. An ongoing and evidently unsolvable issue, given the enormous amounts of government funds that are directed to aboriginal communities generally.

Burketown is notable for its ordinariness (hopefully there is such a word). After deciding to camp in the town caravan park for the night - we believed we still had a problem with our water supply - a walk through the town was in order. Apart from residential housing, it consisted of the Shire offices, fuel station and store, post office, pub, caravan park, butcher/bakery and not much else.

We also planned our next few days and decided to visit Lawn Hill which will require a drive of about 200km southwest tomorrow.

today: 179km cumulative: 6,841km

The caravan park wasn’t quite as secure as we had hoped. \240A couple of aboriginal children visited us in the early hours of the morning, attempting to open anything that might open - bad luck them - everything was locked....

We’re allowed to make changes, even at a late date and so, after some discussion overnight, we elected not to visit Lawn Hill on this occasion and, instead, decided to drive further east - possibly striking towards Cooktown (which neither of us had been to). We’ll see what transpires.....

Local enquiries revealed that the road to Normanton, although not fully sealed, was good enough to allow us to inflate our tyres again. We’d deflated them just before Roper Bar just over a week ago.

We left Burketown latish (about 10:00) and soon found that that part of the road that was unsealed wasn’t quite as good as we’d been led to believe; nevertheless, we battled on.

We were seeing a lot more traffic now. During the past week, it was anything from no vehicles to a maximum of eight per day. Today we saw at least a couple of dozen.

On the way, we stopped at Leichhardt Falls, which would have looked quite spectacular in the wet season, but it was still majestic at this time of year.

We took a short walk around the town and soon realised that it had once been a prosperous community - some of the remaining buildings were magnificent. The town’s tourist office, for example, had once been the first Burns, Philp establishment in the colony.

We determined that we could access a free camp beside the Norman River just north of the town so that’s what we did.

Shortly after setting up camp, we received a text message from one of our friends (Ros Hannell) to advise us that mutual friends had also arrived in Normanton, so we made contact with Bob and Julia Smith and arranged to meet them at their caravan park. We had a few drinks and then enjoyed some locally made barramundi and chips with them.

today: 231km \240cumulative: 7,072km

We set off this morning to Karumba, which is 70 km from Normanton, leaving the van at our overnight camp spot.

We were immediately drawn to the sea air, or more accurately the gulf (of Carpentaria) air. So much so that we decided to return to Normanton, collect the van and treat ourselves to two nights at the caravan park overlooking the gulf at Karumba Point.

Before doing so, we visited the Normanton railway station which houses the well-known Gulflander train which occasionally plies between Normanton and Croydon. Unfortunately, the next trip wasn’t due to leave until Wednesday next week.

today: 241km cumulative: 7,313km

We enjoyed a relatively lazy day at Karumba, visiting the town and its port.

We learnt that the mineral processing resource at the port was developed by Century Mines in 1999 and treated both zinc and lead concentrate which was transferred in slurry form from Lawn Hill (304 km distant). At the time, it was one of the world’s largest zinc mines. The reserves were depleted in 2016 and presented an opportunity for a junior miner to capitalise on the remaining resources, the existing infrastructure as well as other resources elsewhere.

There was also a barramundi fish farm not far away. This was opened early this year and is the only hatchery in the world that breeds southern gulf barramundi.

The Karumba Livestock Export facility serves pastoralists in and around the region.

today: \24014km cumulative: 7,327km

We left Karumba Point fairly early and, after stopping in Normanton for fuel, we set off for Croydon.

We took a coffee break at Black Bull Siding which is the (almost) halfway point between Normanton and Croydon for the Gulflander train.

Croydon was a surprise. Although its genesis was raising stock, gold was found in and around the town in the late 19th century and resulted in significant growth. It drew opportunists from all corners and, at one point, was the fourth largest town in Queensland. No more mining exists but the pastoralists remain.

The town has suffered greatly from floods, fire and drought over recent years, but the locals seem to have taken them all in their stride.

All credit must go to the local council who have wisely spent a great deal of time and money developing a tourist resource - a great Tourist Information Centre, a well preserved tourist precinct and a well planned tourist walk. We treated ourselves to lunch at the Club Hotel.

Before leaving the town we visited the Lake Belmore which was established in the late 1990s as the town’s water source.

We then set off to find our overnight stop beside the Gilbert River - a free caravan stop halfway between Croydon and Georgetown.

today: 307km cumulative: 7,634km

A late start - in fact, ours was the last van out of the overnight stop.

On the way to Georgetown, we stopped for a while at the Cumberland Chimney. This is all that remains of a substantial gold mine, established in 1872. The four original owners did well: aftwr 14 years they sold the operation to the Cumberland Gold Mining Company for £100,000 plus £60,000 in fully paid £1 shares AND remained as managers of the new company. Not bad money for 1886...

Alongside is a lake which attracts water birds of many species. It was a great spot for morning coffee.

Then into Georgetown to refuel both ourselves and the vehicle. First stop was the Tourist Information Centre - always worthwhile in any country town. This one featured a mineral collection, the majority of which has been gathered by a local of some repute. Ted Elliott had spent almost a lifetime with his hobby and, after his death, the local council took it on.

We had been recommended to consider a free camp 40 or so kilometres east of the town and subsequently found it on the banks of the Einasleigh River. On the way there, the country changed and we found ourselves tackling the first hill of any significance - it was a change from the very flat savannah country we’d experienced over the past week or so. And there we stayed...

today: 134km cumulative: 7,768km

We made an early start and headed off to Mount Surprise with a view to reaching Mount Garnet.

Between the two towns, we decided to make a detour to Undara which features lava tubes and other related attractions. On arrival, we learnt that visiting the lava tubes was only possible in the afternoon so we decided to move on. Just as we were about to leave, we almost bumped into Bob and Julia Smith, who we had only met at Normanton a few days previously - small world...

Just short of Mount Garnet we saw a ’farm stay’ and so decided to stop for the rest of the day and overnight.

Our plans are now based around staying in the vicinity of the Atherton Tablelands for about a week. Unfortunately, we had forgotten that Queensland school holidays started this week and so we timed our entry into the coastal area just a little too early...

today: 136km cumulative: 7,904km

We were able to book into a caravan park in Atherton. What’s more, there had been a cancellation and the very fortunate timing of our booking resulted in us getting one of the best sites in the park.

The drive was transformational in that the country changed significantly from dry, dusty savannah to green, hilly pastures within 150 kilometres. We passed a wind farm on the way.

It was a relatively short drive up to the Atherton Tablelands, but before checking in we needed to clean down the van which had accumulated 1,100 kilometres of dust. Fortunately, there was a self-service facility in the town and we spent an hour getting the van clean and ourselves wet and dirty.

We spent most of the rest of the day housekeeping.....

today: 162km cumulative: \2408,066km

More housekeeping and administration today.

We had organised to have replacement water filters sent to Cairns when we were at Normanton and so we in drove, via Gordonvale. This route included 17 kilometres of exceptionally windy road, through Gillies Range. It was hard not to feel a little giddy....

After successfully collecting the water filters, we found a (very ordinary) coffee shop, and then, across the road, found the Sheridan Street markets and stocked up with fresh fruit and veggies. And finally to Coles, or was it Woolies, for the remaining groceries.

By this time, we were quite hungry and stopped at a local greasy spoon and almost finished an extremely ordinary meal of fried food.

We returned to Atherton via Kuranda, where we stopped for an hour at the Australian Butterfly Collection which was excellent. And we couldn't resist a homemade ice cream each a few kilometres down the road...

today: 282km cumulative: 8,348km

Another admin and maintenance day.

We finally sorted out the water supply problem after replacing one of the filters. Once done, everything worked as it should.

A quick trip down to the shops was necessary before lunch and then, after relocating the television monitor to the outside of the van and cranking up the satellite dish, we were able to watch the AFL Grand Final. It was one of the best Grand Finals in recent years and, after trailing Collingwood for nearly all the match, West Coast won in the final two minutes by 5 points. An absolute thriller!

today: 8km cumulative: 8,356km

Today, after another late start, we set off for Herberton, about 25 km south of town.

It had been a tin mining town of some note, established by a couple of Irishmen and an Englishman in the late 1800s. The mining museum was set up some time ago and contained a plethora of tin mining equipment, related stories and other information, some of which was not exactly relevant to the topic. Sadly, it seemed that the custodians of the museum were not likely to be around in a few years time and one had to question the future of an otherwise interesting, but dated, establishment.

Then on to the Herberton Historic Village.

The Village was the ’brain child’ of a local resident, Harry Skennar - he established the site, on which stood a few derelict houses and not much else, and then sought out an enormous collection of buildings and items which reflect life in north Queensland as it was from the 1880s. However, when on holiday in the area from Melbourne ten years ago, a couple saw the potential of the then closed attraction and bought it. Since then, the 6.5 ha village has been faithfully restored, upgraded and maintained.

Craig Kimberley, and his wife, still own the Village and it represents one of a number of personal investments after they sold Just Jeans a number of years ago.

It was certainly worth visiting....

The NRL Grand Final was on television in the evening and proved to be an anti-climax after yesterday's AFL match.

today: 64km cumulative: 8,420km

Not a great deal of activity today.

The caravan park is starting to empty out as the long weekend and the Queensland school holidays come to and end.

Nevertheless we took ourselves for a drive, ending up at Lake Tinaroo which is due east of Atherton. It was still quite busy and is likely to get very much busier in the summer.

On the way home, we stopped at Gallo’s which is reputed to be a dairy products and chocolate extravaganza. We came away with six very expensive pieces of chocolate and a vow not to return!

today: 69km cumulative: 8,489km

This morning the caravan park, which had been fully booked when we first arrived, had all but emptied out.

We drove out to Yungaburra, quite a nice little town to the south east of Atherton. It seemed to sell itself as a tourist destination and there were many coffee shops and trinket shops to prove the point.

A little further out of town we found the Avenue of Honour. This is a memorial to those Australians who served in Afghanistan and those who lost their lives there and was officially opened in 2013 by the Chief of the Defence Force and attended by the Prime Minister and Oppostion Leader of the day.

There are few commemorative memorials which have been designed as well as this. It is relevant, poignant and exceptionally well maintained. Afghan Veterans, and all Australians, should be proud of it.

On the way through Malanda, the Hotel appeared and brought back memories of a weekend spent there in 1969, together with Syd Farrow, when we conducted a TEWT (Tactical Exercise Without Troops) for the local CMF (Citizens Military Force - now the Army Reserve).

We then drive out to Lake Barrine. Although the lake itself hasn't changed, the surrounding infrastructure looks fairly ordinary compared to a previous visit in 1969. Then on to Lake Eacham - much the same. We then drive off to Malanda and had our picnic lunch beside the Malanda Falls.

And finally to the Bromfield Swamp - an old volcanic crater which, after the last eruption thought to be over 200,000 years ago, formed into an area rich in organic soils over 7 metres deep thus creating vegetation which is now a favoured habitat for all manner of birdlife.

An interesting day.....

today: 90km cumulative: 8,579km

See the next entry for 3 October.

Lakeland is an entry to identify the route we took to reach Cooktown....

It was mizzling (somewhere between a mist and drizzle) in Atherton this morning, so we decided to take ourselves off to Cooktown - about 250km north - stay the night there and return the next day, but leaving the caravan in Atherton.

The route took us through Mareeba, Mt Molloy, where we had a coffee in a cafe managed by a couple of blokes who might have looked more at home in Nimbin (unofficial home of those who enjoy marijuana) and then on to Lakeland where we had an excellent steak sandwich for lunch.

The country in these parts is so much more hilly - even mountainous - than our expectations and was sliced by numerous creeks and rivers which no doubt would look spectacular in the wet season.

We reached Cooktown in the early afternoon and did a ‘Cooks tour’ (pun intended), driving through the town and taking in the waterfront precinct, Grassy Hilly which offered 360° views of the town and the bay and then finally to Finch Bay. We also called in to the Visitor Centre which is located next to the Botanical Gardens. Unfortunately, the Gardens were partially closed due to maintenance which was a shame as they are reputed to be the oldest Botanical Gardens in Australia.

We had dinner at a great Thai restaurant: Jackey Jackeys on Charlotte Street.

A good day!

today: \240307km cumulative 8,886km

What a great place this is!

We went for a drive in the morning and, quite by chance, noticed a ute with Sandstone (WA) number plates. For those who don’t know, all country shires in Western Australia offer license plates that are unique to the shire (Sandstone’s plate is S, followed by a number). So we stopped to say hello and discovered that he did, indeed, hail from Sandstone (which is on a dirt road 500 km east of Geraldton). Furthermore, he knew the character from the Sandstone pub who showed our friends Alan and Sue Walpole, who were visiting us from the UK several years ago, a gold nugget in a matchbox nestling in some cotton wool. After some further conversation, we also discovered he was in 4 Field Regiment in Vietnam at the same time as David (although he didn’t know him at the time). And finally, that he has the same surname as Ann’s mother’s maiden name, although he comes from a different branch of the family. Talk about coincidences! And from a relatively remote part of Australia....

We decided to stay another night in Cooktown. It’s such a relaxing place.

So we visited both the Cooktown History Centre and the James Cook Museum, both of which offered great insights to the town, its history and of course James Cook.

In the afternoon we drove to Elim Beach which is about 70km from Cooktown by road. It features coloured sands - unfortunately we didn’t take the high tide into consideration and so were denied the opportunity to see them. Nevertheless, it was a great drive - we drove very close to a bush fire, saw some extraordinary sand dunes and marvelled at the hills surrounding Cooktown.

today: 176km cumulative: 9,062km

See the next entry for 5 October...

Bloomfield is an entry to identify the route we took after leaving Cooktown....

Our last day in Cooktown deserved a decent breakfast, so on the recommendation of our overnight hosts we went down to the fishermen's wharf and enjoyed a food meal and a great view.

Rather than drive back the same way, we decided to take the coast road via the Bloomfield Track.

However, our first diversion was to Archer Point which is 13km down a dirt track. Well - the secret is out! This is the best location for a caravan site in Australia (provided of course that one is totally self-sufficient). One wouldn't want go there in the peak season, but this time of year would be ideal....

Just before reaching the Bloomfield Track we drove through Wajul Wajul which is an aboriginal community. Compared to other such communities, this one is quite respectable.

Opening up the Bloomfield Track in the 1980s caused a huge hue and cry from the greenies as they wanted the area for themselves and put the case that it would destroy too much of the area as a consequence of bulldozing a track through the Daintree Rainforest. However, the local government went ahead, providing access to services for landholders along the way and offering an alternate route from Cape Tribulation to Cooktown. A 32km stretch remains as a dirt track which is only accessible by 4WD vehicles. Provided one drives sensibly the track is fine, despite corrugations, very steep hills and some creek crossings.

After arriving in Cape Tribulation, we stopped for lunch. And then drove through to the Daintree ferry ($16.00 for a 5 minute crossing!) and on to the village which we’d visited previously in the mid-1980s. Needless to say, it's changed!

Finally through Mossman, Mount Molloy and Mareeba and back to Atherton.

today: 323km cumulative: 9,385km

We decided, today, that we should start our trek home tomorrow.

And that, rather than take the more popular, and certainly busier, coastal road, we should drive inland.

So today was all about being ready for our 2,000km trip home.

Replenishing our onboard water tanks; checking the vehicle's lubricants; checking tyre pressures (all 11 of them - including the spares) and wheel nuts; repacking the vehicle and caravan; making a batch of biscuits and grocery shopping being the major activities (no prizes for who did what!)

today: 0km cumulative: 9,385km

An early start was the order of the day.

We had enjoyed our extended stay in FNQ (Far North Queensland) and especially the trip up to Cooktown.

We made good progress retracing our steps through to and a little beyond Mount Garnet and then struck south and then a little east along the Gregory Development Road through Greenvale until we reached the junction with Hervey Range Road which connected with Townsville.

There are quite a number of Development Roads throughout Queensland and most, if not all, were established in the 1960s primarily to support the beef industry get their products to market. The Gregory Development Road is also known as the Sir John (or Jack) McEwan who was Deputy PM and Leader of the National Party at the time. He and the Queensland Premier of the day (Joh Bjelke-Petersen) were both instrumental in establishing these roads. The roads themselves are now getting a little tired and most are being upgraded to cater for increasing traffic.

We found an overnight stop a couple of kilometres inside the Hervey Range Road.

today: 434km cumulative: 9,819km

Another early start and we were off again.

The run down to Charters Towers was interrupted by significant road works, uprading the existing road.

Charters Towers itself was a surprise. Neither of us had been there before and we were mightily impressed by not only the size of the town but also, and primarily, the obvious pride with which the local residents had maintained it. Some of the buildings, especially in the centre of town, were quite magnificent: the town's wealth had been grown from gold mining, which still exists, and has been further enhanced by beef production.

Then on through Clermont, Capella and Emerald. Although the road is fairly direct, featuring long, straight stretches, its condition is not so good - it seemed that a thin film of bitumen had been placed over the soil and had then allowed nature to do its job of expansion and contraction, thus creating a never ending bumpy ride for kilometres on end.

We found an overnight stop just north of Springsure.

today: 659km cumulative: 10,478km

Rollestone was our first stop, for fuel. Then on to the Dawson Highway through to Moura. This has to be one of the worst sealed roads in Queensland! The bitumen itself is OK but the undulations are shocking. The sensation was similar to sailing in a boat through rough seas.

We turned south just short of Moura and, shortly afterwards, encountered the Dawson coal mine which has been operating since the early 1960s. It’s as open cut mine and operates four huge draglines; the coal is sent via a belt conveyor to a crushing and washing facility before being railed to Gladstone for export. It is huge!

Through to Taroom and then to Wandoan where we stayed the night in an excellent free park, equipped with showers. Wandoan serves a prosperous agricultural community which produces wheat, sorghum and cattle.

today: 427km cumulative: 10,905km

A relatively short day today.

Through Miles and Dalby to Toowoomba.

On our way, we stopped for a sandwich lunch at Oakey after visiting the Australian Army Flying Museum. Many memories from lots of years back with Hueys, a Cessna Bird Dog, a Sioux helicopter and many photos.

Soon after arriving at a BIG4 caravan park it started to drizzle - the first we’d experienced for several weeks.

today: 296km cumulative: 11,201km

A short run home and it was all over!

today: 295km cumulative: 11,496km

Some observations from our trip:

Land use

Large tracts of Queensland and the Northern Territory through which we drove have been quarantined either as National Parks or Aboriginal land, thus denying the opportunity to utilise a part of the State, or Territory, for production of forestry, crops, stock or horticulture. Perhaps we missed the rationale for establishing the National Parks we passed through, but there seemed to be little evidence of the need.

Equally, any property which was identified as being owned by Aboriginal corporations or communities appeared not to be at all productive: no doubt there are exceptions, nevertheless, it does seem to be a shame that so much land is tied up.

On the positive side, property that has been developed for agricultural production appeared to be exceptionally productive. On the one hand, pastoral enterprises, even taking into account the current drought conditions, appeared to be prospering. It was evident, for example, that many pastoral properties had been managing their de-stocking well - this was evident in the good condition of the remaining stock. On the Atherton Tablelands, where the primary horticultural industries include avocado, banana, sugar cane and others, every hectare of land seemed to be utilised unlike, for example, the NSW Northern Rivers where so much productive land is being purchased as ‘lifestyle’ properties (mainly by retirees from the southern cities) and not being developed, or even maintained, for agricultural use.

Travellers

Surprisingly, at least to us, was the breakdown of traveller category that we observed.

By far the largest category was young families, our definition of which is parents with children up to the age of about six. Many of these seem to have been on the road for extended periods of time. The next largest category was retirees who seemed not to have a fixed itinerary - unlike the ‘grey nomads’ who were, generally, tied to a planned itinerary, pre-booking their caravan park accommodation well ahead of time (it is possible that, in the busy months, such planning is mandatory, given the increasing number of travellers on the road and the inability of caravan parks to keep pace with demand). According to caravan park staff we spoke with, the majority of of this traveller category had already turned for home and the southern States by the time we arrived.

We also encountered a surprising number of solo travellers, whether they were in caravans, motor homes or even tents.

Clearly, the volume of travellers visiting each destination depended on the attraction(s) at each destination and/or the seasonal accessibility. For example, it’s difficult to visit Kakadu National Park in the wet season (although some would say that it’s the best time to experience all that is great about Kakadu). So it’s not possible to provide a ‘best month to visit’ recommendation as it will vary according to seasonal conditions.

Accommodation

To state the obvious, caravan parks offer the best accommodation option, however, cost is the primary issue.

Provided that travellers are fully independent (access to power, water, food and appropriate means of sewage disposal), they are most certainly better off than others. If this category of traveller has a trailer (ie. caravan or camper trailer) and a tow vehicle that have genuine off-road capabilities (robust build and appropriately designed and manufactured suspension, high clearance and other relevant features) then the opportunities for selecting overnight stopping places and itineraries are endless.

A trailer and tow vehicle that have lesser, or no, off-road capabilities still have a number of other accommodation and itinerary options including ‘free camps’. These can include a council-owned showground, a designated roadside parking bay or any other place identified as such. There are also plenty of other places that offer overnight stops, some of which include access to water, toilets and even showers. Farm stays, for example, can be a great option. \240Most of these categories charge a nominal fee whether it be collected or donated through an honesty box. The closer one gets to a country town with a caravan park, the less likely one will find a free overnight stop.

Navigation

Other than obligatory paper maps, our primary and preferred means of navigation was the HEMA HX-1 device. Although expensive, it more than catered for our every navigation need and we would unreservedly recommend it for those those who are into frequent off-road travel. Product features include moving map, destination route search and execution, waypoint marking, and many others. Many of the primary HEMA maps (for example their Desert Tracks set) have been digitised and included in the package.

A Big Country

There is no doubt that Australia is a huge country. The likelihood of anyone being able to claim that they’ve been ‘everywhere’ is remote if not not plainly false.

Our own experiences is that, although we were able to enjoy some limited camping some years ago, returning to these same places or hearing from others of their own experiences, there is a far greater number of travellers on the road now than there has ever been. And so, the message is: get out now and visit as much of Australia as you can, because in a few more years time there are likely to be even greater numbers. For example, we drove the Gibb River Road in the Kimberley during 1993 and we were not only able to camp almost anywhere we chose but could count the number of vehicles we encountered over the week on the fingers of one hand - that is certainly not the case today.

Highlights

It’s not easy to nominate any one highlight over the time we were away, but the top five were:

- the sunrise cruise on Yellow Water in Kakadu

- Cooktown

- the overnight stop at Towns River, south of Roper Bar

- the remoteness, serenity and wilderness of Savannah Way

- swimming in Bitter Springs, Mataranka (Ann)

- walking in Carnarvon Gorge (David)

Where to next?

Unless another opportunity arises, we’re considering driving to Ayers Rock and connecting with the Great Central Road which ends up at Laverton in WA. As far as timing is concerned, perhaps leaving after ANZAC Day and the Eulo ‘Music in the Mulga’ festival. But, who knows?